Global Indices and Reports for UPSC: Who Publishes What and India's Latest Ranks (GHI, HDI, Gender Gap, Press Freedom, CPI, GII)
How UPSC Tests Indices and Reports
🎯 Exam priority: Tier-1 for publishers. UPSC asked: who publishes the Rule of Law Index (World Justice Project, 2018); the Global Competitiveness Report (World Economic Forum, 2019); the Global Hunger Index's indicators and publisher (2016); the Global Financial Stability Report (IMF, 2016); a World Bank Ease of Doing Business sub-index (2019); the Climate Action Tracker (2022); WHO air-quality guidelines (2022); the UN World Water Development Report (2023); the Multidimensional Poverty Index (2026, provisional key).
Index questions are the cheapest marks in IR: one publisher, one fact. Learn the publisher table below, then the latest India ranks (flagged because each is re-published every year). Never memorise a rank without its year.
Who Publishes What
Learn this table by publisher family.
Who publishes what
Publisher | Index or report | Note |
World Economic Forum (WEF) | Global Gender Gap Report; Global Competitiveness Report (2019 PYQ); Travel and Tourism Development Index; Global Risks Report; Energy Transition Index | Davos, Geneva; the Global Competitiveness Report was last issued in 2019 |
UNDP | Human Development Report (HDI); Multidimensional Poverty Index (with the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative); Human Development Index uses health, education and income | NITI Aayog's national MPI uses 12 indicators (2026 PYQ), UNDP's global MPI uses 10 |
World Bank | Global Economic Prospects; Doing Business (discontinued in 2021; replaced by B-READY); Logistics Performance Index; Global Findex; Worldwide Governance Indicators | 'Maintenance of law and order' is not a Doing Business sub-index (2019 PYQ) |
IMF | World Economic Outlook; Global Financial Stability Report (2016 PYQ); Fiscal Monitor; Article IV reports | - |
UN agencies | FAO: State of Food Security and Nutrition (SOFI), Global Report on Food Crises; UNEP: Emissions Gap Report; UNODC: World Drug Report; UNCTAD: World Investment Report; UNESCO: Global Education Monitoring Report; UN DESA: World Population Prospects; UNICEF and WHO: joint reports; WMO: State of the Climate; UNHCR: Global Trends | UN World Water Development Report is published by UNESCO on behalf of UN-Water (2023 PYQ) |
Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide | Global Hunger Index: four indicators (undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting, child mortality) | IFPRI was a co-publisher in earlier years (2016 PYQ) |
Transparency International | Corruption Perceptions Index | Berlin-based NGO |
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) | World Press Freedom Index | Paris |
Freedom House | Freedom in the World | Washington |
Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) | Democracy Index; Global Liveability Index | - |
Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) | Global Peace Index; Global Terrorism Index | Sydney |
World Justice Project | Rule of Law Index (2018 PYQ) | A US non-profit, not the ICJ or Amnesty |
WIPO | Global Innovation Index | Geneva |
Yale and Columbia universities | Environmental Performance Index | - |
Germanwatch and others | Climate Change Performance Index | - |
SDSN (UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network) | Sustainable Development Report and SDG Index; World Happiness Report | - |
IMD (Lausanne) | World Competitiveness Yearbook | Not the WEF |
Fund for Peace | Fragile States Index | - |
Walk Free | Global Slavery Index | - |
Climate Action Tracker | Monitors national emission-reduction pledges; a database created by a coalition of research organisations (2022 PYQ) | Not an IPCC wing |
India's Position in the Latest Editions
These are India's latest ranks in the most-asked indices. They change every year; each is dated and comes from secondary sources.
India's position in the latest editions
Index (publisher) | Latest edition | India |
Global Hunger Index (Welthungerhilfe and Concern) | 2025 | 102nd of 123 countries, score 25.8 ('serious') |
Global Gender Gap Index (WEF) | 2025 | 131st of 148, parity 64.1 per cent (political empowerment is the weakest area) |
Human Development Index (UNDP) | 2025 report, 2023 data | 130th of 193 |
World Press Freedom Index (RSF) | 2026 (released 30 April 2026) | 157th of 180 (151st in 2025) |
Corruption Perceptions Index (Transparency International) | 2025 (released February 2026) | 91st of 182, score 39 (96th in 2024) |
Global Innovation Index (WIPO) | 2025 | 38th of 139 (39th in 2024); first among lower-middle-income economies |
Reading a rank: a lower rank number is better (1st is best) for most indices; for CPI a higher score is better. Questions such as 'India improved its rank in X' depend on the edition.
Always ask: who measures, with how many countries, and what the components are. The Global Hunger Index has four components and does not measure poverty; the HDI has three dimensions (health, knowledge and standard of living).
Reading Indices: Components and Climate Reports
Here is a short list of the numbers that come with the main UN-system reports.
Two reports with India links
Multidimensional poverty: the 2026 paper asked about NITI Aayog's national MPI (the Alkire-Foster method, twelve indicators, with some indicators common to UNDP's MPI).
Climate reports: the UNEP Emissions Gap Report (annual), the WMO's State of the Climate, and the IPCC assessment cycle (the US announced its withdrawal from the IPCC in January 2026, per secondary sources).
Further Reading
the Ministry of External Affairs Annual Report, MEA and PIB press releases and joint statements, United Nations and treaty-body websites, and an atlas — the primary sources behind every fact above.
How UPSC Could Ask This Next
Here are the questions this chapter is most likely to produce next.
How UPSC could ask this next
Publisher match: 'which of these reports is published by the World Economic Forum / UNDP / IMF'.
Components: the four indicators of the GHI, the three dimensions of the HDI, the pillars of the GII, the Alkire-Foster method of the MPI.
India's rank: an 'improved or fell' statement for the latest edition (the 2026 press-freedom rank fell six places; the CPI rank improved five places).
Defunct reports: Doing Business (discontinued 2021), the Global Competitiveness Report (last 2019).
Mains: the credibility of global indices, methodological critiques, and policy responses to a poor rank.
Test Yourself: Practice Questions and PYQs
Twelve practice questions on publishers and components, followed by the real UPSC Prelims questions.
Practice Questions
Q1. The Human Development Report is published by
(a) UNDP
(b) World Bank
(c) IMF
(d) WEF
Show answer
Answer: (a) — The HDI combines health, education and income.
Q2. The Global Gender Gap Report is published by the
(a) UN Women
(b) World Bank
(c) International Labour Organization
(d) World Economic Forum
Show answer
Answer: (d) — India ranked 131st of 148 in the 2025 edition (secondary source).
Q3. The Global Hunger Index uses which of the following indicators?
1. Undernourishment
2. Child stunting
3. Child wasting
4. Child mortality
(a) 1, 2 and 4 only
(b) 2, 3 and 4 only
(c) 1 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Show answer
Answer: (d) — The 2025 index placed India 102nd of 123 countries.
Q4. The Corruption Perceptions Index is published by
(a) Amnesty International
(b) Transparency International
(c) World Justice Project
(d) Freedom House
Show answer
Answer: (b) — India was 91st of 182 countries in the 2025 index (secondary source).
Q5. The World Press Freedom Index is published by
(a) UNESCO
(b) Committee to Protect Journalists
(c) Freedom House
(d) Reporters Without Borders
Show answer
Answer: (d) — India was 157th of 180 in 2026 (secondary source).
Q6. The Global Innovation Index is published by
(a) OECD
(b) WIPO
(c) World Bank
(d) UNCTAD
Show answer
Answer: (b) — India was 38th of 139 economies in 2025.
Q7. The World Bank's 'Doing Business' report
(a) is still published and ranks India 63rd
(b) is published annually by the IMF
(c) is published by the WEF
(d) was discontinued in 2021
Show answer
Answer: (d) — It was replaced by the B-READY project.
Q8. The 'Democracy Index' is published by
(a) Freedom House
(b) The World Bank
(c) The Economist Intelligence Unit
(d) UNDP
Show answer
Answer: (c) — Freedom House publishes 'Freedom in the World'.
Q9. The Global Peace Index is published by the
(a) SIPRI
(b) Institute for Economics and Peace
(c) Fund for Peace
(d) UN Peacebuilding Commission
Show answer
Answer: (b) — The Fragile States Index is by the Fund for Peace.
Q10. The Environmental Performance Index is produced by
(a) WWF
(b) IUCN
(c) UNEP and the World Bank
(d) Yale and Columbia universities
Show answer
Answer: (d) — UNEP publishes the Emissions Gap Report.
Q11. The Global Financial Stability Report is published by the
(a) European Central Bank
(b) IMF
(c) World Bank
(d) Bank for International Settlements
Show answer
Answer: (b) — The World Economic Outlook is another IMF flagship.
Q12. The UN World Water Development Report is published by
(a) WHO
(b) UNESCO on behalf of UN-Water
(c) UNEP
(d) FAO
Show answer
Answer: (b) — It is an annual report; the 2022 edition was asked in the 2023 paper.
UPSC Previous Year Questions (PYQs)
Real UPSC Prelims questions, checked against the official paper and answer key.
Q1. (2018) 'Rule of Law Index' is released by which of the following?
(a) International Court of Justice
(b) World Justice Project
(c) The Office of UN Commissioner for Human Rights
(d) Amnesty International
Show answer
Answer: (b) — The Rule of Law Index is released by the World Justice Project, an independent non-profit.
Q2. (2019) The Global Competitiveness Report is published by the
(a) World Bank
(b) United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
(c) World Economic Forum
(d) International Monetary Fund
Show answer
Answer: (c) — The Global Competitiveness Report is published by the World Economic Forum.
Mains Practice Questions
Use these to frame full-length answers. You don't have to answer one exactly — they show the angles UPSC tests, so let them guide which points you cover.
Critically examine the usefulness and the methodological limits of global indices such as the Global Hunger Index and the Press Freedom Index for policy in India.
"The incidence and intensity of poverty are more important in determining poverty based on income alone." In this context analyse the latest UN Multidimensional Poverty Index report.
What does India's rank in the Global Innovation Index and in the Human Development Index say about its development strategy?
How should India respond to a decline in a global index that it considers flawed?
UPSC Mains — Previous Years’ Questions on this topic (last 10 years)
No direct GS Mains question has been asked specifically on this topic in the last decade — it is primarily a Prelims area. Use the practice prompts above to stay exam-ready.